Impression
We had a calm episode this week, with not much really going on at all. In the end, I guess there was a limit to how much infodumping Madhouse could cut out – Tatsuya and Miyuki’s long conversation about Blanche meant that both the OP and ED were sacrificed. To an extent, I’m not exactly sure whether all this background info surrounding Blanche and Egalite was necessary, especially if other areas of world building were deemed not important enough to include. And with less structural development and explanation on the Bloom and Weed divide, it does make it much harder to sympathize with what Sayaka was talking about, no matter how much of a kendo bishoujo she is. Instead, more noticeable chunks were cut out, leaving the flow of the episode feeling slightly disjointed, most notably during that short counselling scene with Ono Haruka. While the voice casting in Mahouka has been pretty cool on the whole, Haruka’s voice caught me by surprise just like Mayumi’s did. She sounded far too cutesy and innocent for my liking!
Anyway, through Sayaka’s heartfelt plea to Tatsuya, the stage has been set for the emergence of Egalite’s influence within First High – a group backing the coalition of non-magic clubs campaigning for better treatment and the removal of discrimination. Admittedly, the Weeds are actually treated really bad – we saw that in the pilot episode with Morisaki and Tatsuya. Not everyone’s like Tatsuya though, who doesn’t care enough and has got more power than many Blooms either way. The majority of Weeds are genuinely weaker than their Bloom counterparts, and end up being disadvantaged by their lack of ability in magic – even though the fact they can use magic is a privilege in itself. But in terms of peaceful protest, their very position means it’s really unlikely they’ll get anywhere. As Tatsuya said, they’ll present their argument, but what happens after that? They’re lucky that the Big Three (Mayumi, Mari and Juumonji) aren’t as prejudiced, but how much realistic change can there possibly be? The captain of the Kendo Club probably knows that, and it’s easy to tell he’s up to no good. That’s why Tatsuya’s Cast Jamming would be such an asset to their campaign – because the ability to nullify magic removes the advantage Blooms have over Weeds, making it much easier to carry out an uprising of some sort.
At long last, the Ten Master Clans got a passing mention this week, alongside the bold revelation that Tatsuya and Miyuki in fact belong to the Yotsuba (4) – I can’t actually remember whether this was revealed this early in the light novels. If Madhouse had gone ahead with a bit more world building, this alone would explain their power levels well enough, as in the world of Mahouka, lineage and heredity are very, very important with regards to magic ability. Anyone with a number in their family name will be genetically talented in magic – and the Ten Master Clans stand at the pinnacle of all magic families, in no particular order (although a certain few are comparatively more powerful). Juumonji Katsuto of Club Management is part of the Juumonji (10) Family, while Mayumi belongs to the Saegusa (7) – both are in positions of leadership at First High, and Tatsuya acknowledges their power.
Finally, while I’ve mentioned that I really don’t like Madhouse’s focus on Miyuki’s incestuous desires, I can’t fault their wonderful art at all. They sometimes slip up, but largely it’s done really well – the animation really does help to soften the blow from all these other production missteps.
Also, have a blushing Mari.
There’ll be action next week, so do look forward to that!